such results in the minds of men. To revivals of religion our country owes more than to all other moral causes put together; and if our institutions are preserved in safety, it must be by such extraordinary manifestations of the presence and power of God. Our sons forsake the homes of their fathers, they wander away from the place of schools and churches to the wilderness of the West; they go from the sound of the Sabbath bell, and they forget the Sabbath and the Bible and the place of prayer; they leave the places where their fathers sleep in their graves, and they forget the religion which sustained and comforted them. They go for gold, and they wander over the prairie, they fell the forest, they ascend the stream in pursuit of it, and they trample down the law of the Sabbath; and too soon forget the laws of honesty and fair dealing in the insatiable love of gain. Meantime, every man, such is our freedom, may advance any sentiments he pleases. He may defend them by all the power of argument, and enforce them by all the eloquence of persuasion. He may clothe his corrupt sentiments in the charms of verse, and he may make a thousand cottages beyond the mountains reecho with the corrupt and corrupting strain. He may call to his aid the power of the press, and may secure a lodgment for his infidel sentiment in the most distant habitation in the republic.

"What can meet this state of things, and arrest the evils that spread with the fleetness of the courser of the wind? What can pursue and overtake these wanderers but revivals of religion-but that Spirit which, like the wind, acts when it pleases? Yet they must be pursued. If our sons go there, they are to be followed and reminded of the commands of God. None of them are to be suffered to go to any fertile vale or prairie in the West without the institutions of the gospel; nor are they to be suffered to construct a hamlet, or to establish a village, or to build a city that shall be devoted to any other god than the God of their fathers. By all the self-denials of benevolence; by all the implored influences of the Holy Ghost, they are to be persuaded to plant there the Rose of Sharon, and to make the wilderness and the solitary place to be glad, and the desert to bud and blossom as the rose. In such circumstances God has interposed, and

He has thus blessed our own land with signal revivals of religion.

"Our whole country thus far has been guarded and protected by the Spirit of God; and 'American revivals' have been the objects of the most intense interest among those in other lands who have sought to understand the secret of our prosperity. That man who enters the pulpit with a cold heart and a doubtful mind in regard to such works of grace; who looks with suspicion on the means which the Spirit of God has appointed and blessed for this object in past times; and who coincides with the enemies of revivals in denouncing them as fanaticism, understands as little the history of his own country as he does the laws of the human mind and the Bible, and lacks the spirit which a man should have who stands in an American pulpit."

Hints to Christian Workers.

REV. THOS. M. WEBB.

In making a call when you have only a few minutes to spare, be just as faithful, without any appearance of hurry, as though you could stay longer.

Do not use the pulpit or the leader's chair from which to air a grievance, or to give a reproof that might be attended to privately.

After you have asked the Holy Spirit to take charge of a meeting, let Him have charge.

In leading a prayer meeting, try to have people feel at ease without the dread of being called upon, and do not be troubled by slight pauses that may give the timid ones a chance.

Don't "keep school" in leading a meeting, by using time in undue urging, which others might use in taking part, if you patiently give them the opportunity.

"Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."

"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into the harvest." And then, when He answers your prayers by putting some future laborer in your way, do as Paul did with Timothy, encourage him or her to enter the work, and give all the help you can.

It is hardly worth while for you to go through the Bible if you are not going to allow the Bible to go through you.

"Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed," or (Did ye receive the Holy Ghost when ye believed?) Acts xix. 2.

There are not a few professing Christians in the present day to whom this question might be put with profit to themselves and advantage to the church of which they are members.

Note first. It is the privilege of believers to receive the Holy Ghost. This will be manifest when we examine a few portions of the Word of God. This gift of the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ died to purchase for and ascended on high to bestow upon believers. "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." "This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive." John vii. 37-39. "It is expedient for you that I go away: if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John xvi. 7. We also learn that while Peter was addressing Cornelius and the assembly in his house, the Holy Ghost was given "to them that heard the Word."

And in the passage under consideration we find that when the twelve men of Ephesus learned of Jesus Christ and were baptized in His name, the Holy Ghost was given to them; also whenever the sinner receives Jesus Christ and rests wholly upon Him for salvation, the Holy Ghost is given. And the deeper the surrender of the soul to Jesus, the more of the Holy Spirit's fulness is received.

"If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, even the Spirit of truth.' John xiv. 15, 16. "The Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey Him." Acts v. 32.

"

The true Christian life is begotten of and maintained by the Holy Ghost. John Bunyan, in his famous and widely-read "Pilgrim's Progress," gives us a graphic picture of the Christian which is true to life. The fire of piety in the soul must die out unless the oil of the Holy Spirit is secretly poured into the soul from above. Hence the need of daily Bible study and communion with God.

Second. The Holy Spirit dwelling in and with His people is the one infallible sign of

discipleship. How can I know that the Holy Spirit dwells in me?

Spirits of every kind are invisible and impalpable, and can, therefore, be recognized only by their works. What are the workings of the Holy Ghost? Ghost enlightens the ter-"God is light"-the soul's inherent sinfulness and corruption (Psalm xiv.)—Jesus, His adaptability and willingness to save. (2) The Holy Ghost produces a repentant, changed life, and enables the new-born soul to abide in Christ, living daily according to the Word in all things (Psalm cxix. 125).

I answer (1) the Holy mind to God's charac

The soul, conscious that this renewing power has been experienced, who walks in the light of the "Word of God," who is pervaded by a constant fear of offending God, whose daily delight is in obeying God-such an one enjoys the comfort of the Holy Ghost. "Then had the churches rest . . . and were edified; and walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost." Acts ix. 31. It could not be otherwise in such circumstances.

Third. "He shall be in you." How do we recognize this indwelling? We recognize this indwelling of the Spirit by faith. Even when I fail to trace the shadow of His workings, I am to believe that the Holy Ghost dwelleth in me, upon the divine testimony. For Jesus tells me, "He shall be in you." Here as in other things, "We walk by faith, not by sight."

What a soul-inspiring and refreshing truth is this! The Holy Ghost dwelling in me as Christ's representative, controlling, guiding and sanctifying us!

Fourth. Note the importance of the truth of the Holy Spirit's indwelling in the be liever. The importance of this truth is seen (a) in the prominence Jesus gives it in His final instructions to the church before His ascension, and also (b) in the position which it holds in the Epistles.

It avails but little that we know what the Holy Spirit does and can do, or that we confess our dependence on Him, unless we clearly see and place in the foreground that to which Jesus Himself and His apostles gave so much prominence the indwelling Spirit taking

Christ's place in the heart and life, as our teacher, strength, guide and personal friend.

As the believer accepts that word of Jesus, "He shall be in you," and lives under the control of the Holy Spirit constantly, the true relation to the Holy Spirit will be maintained. It would appear from a careful study of the Epistles to the Corinthians and Galatians that

one special effect of the Spirit's indwelling would be holy living.

In conclusion, let me remind you that the church needs today the same truth pressed home. There must be, on the part of the believer, a persuasion and a consciousness of this indwelling Spirit, and a hearty submission to His leading, else there will be failure, not only in the personal Christ-life, but also in all missionary effort at home and abroad.

Everybody knows that the line of truth that Keswick stands for is as old as the Christian church. If you take George Fox's Journals and read them, you will find the very line of teaching and almost the identical expressions which are perpetually used upon the Keswick platform. That teaching was the heart and soul of the teaching of the Moravians from whom Wesley received many salient features of his system. There have always been a certain number of Christ's disciples who have laid stress upon the subjective side, as well as the objective side of religion. Keswick stands for the subjective side of religion, for the work of God in the human spirit.

Before I went to Keswick I was greatly interested in a book called: "The Hidden Life,'' by Thomas Upham, D. D., Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy and Instructor in Hebrew at Bowdoin College, and because of its influence upon my character I was first attracted to Keswick.

In that teaching there are seven points. These are not tabulated in any formal document or creed, and it is quite likely that these positions would not be presented quite in the same consecutive order as I am about to present them to you. At the same time I think that the whole of the teachers on the Keswick platform, some twenty men, would accept these seven points as comprising the main trend and drift of their teaching.

These seven positions must not necessarily be considered as being always noticeable crises in the history of the soul. We pass meridian lines without noticing them. They are marked upon the map, but not upon the ocean, and a ship may pass a meridian line without being aware of it. We hold and teach that these positions may be entered into successively,

without any marked experience which will show when a transition has been made from the one to the other.

Now let me state the seven positions:

I. There is assurance of faith. The soul has the right to certainty of adoption, to sonship by the co-witness of the Spirit of God. Rom. viii. and Gal. iv.

II. That it is our duty to present our spirit, soul and body to God for His work, that He may work through us the good pleasure of His will. That presentation may take place at regeneration, and I have met some cases certainly in which it has been coincident. But for the most part I think the soul is so taken up with the rapture of forgiveness that it does not realize the claims of its Saviour to be also its King, and as a matter of fact, therefore, and of experience, I think consecration generally comes sometime after, though not necessarily. There should be perpetual presentation of spirit, soul and body to God that He may work through it for His own glory.

III. The definite putting off and putting on of Col. iii. and Eph. iv. This has to do, remember, with evil habit, and we hold and teach that, as the soul enters through obedience into a fuller illumination of God's Spirit, it sheds off habits which it once permitted. No man, in our judgment, should judge another in the habits which he permits, if only his brother is true to the light of God. Hence this light marks the stages of the soul's progress. In the dim twilight it will cling to habits which it will afterwards be the first to resign. We hold that the successive stages of the soul's approach to God are indicated by this deepening obedience to His will, made known in the depths of our nature, and corro

borated by the Word of God. This third point runs parallel with the whole of life. The old drops off, as the new is being renewed more and more in the image of Christ.

IV.

The infilling of the Most Blessed Spirit. We use that word "infilling" advisedly, rather than baptism. We would not judge people who use the word baptism, but we have found that the perpetual talk about baptism led people to look for some sensational experience, and therefore we use the word baptism only of Acts ii., viii., x., xix. For the most part we prefer the word filling, as characteristic of the Spirit's work through this age. Of course we believe the blessed Spirit was in the world before Pentecost, as the Lord Jesus was in the world before His Incarnation; but that just as the Incarnation was a distinct point in the relationship of the Son to men, so the Day of Pentecost was a distinct point in the relationship of the Holy Ghost to men. And as the Son of God came to be incarnate in the body born of the Virgin, so the Blessed Holy Spirit condescended to dwell among men in the body of the Church of Christ. It is through the church that the Spirit of God works upon men, just as though it was through His body that Jesus Christ wrought amongst

men.

The question is sometimes asked what distinction is there between the Spirit of God before Pentecost, and after? Something of the same distinction between the presence of Christ before His Incarnation, and after His Incarnation.

Before the Incarnation the Lord Jesus Christ was accessible to men of Alpine character, men like Abraham, and Enoch, Elijah, and Isaiah who saw His glory. But after His incarnation the Lord Jesus was accessible to all who touched the hem of His garment. So the Holy Spirit seems to me to have brooded upon the loftiest men, moving them to write the Word of God; but Joel said: His advent to the church in the last days would be distinguished by His movement upon the sons and daughters, upon servant men and servant maids; that anybody and everybody would find the Spirit of God within easy reach as the greatest had done aforetime.

The Lord Jesus said, when He is come to you, He shall convince the world, indicating, surely that there was a distinct advent of the

Spirit of God upon the Day of Pentecost which was as distinct as the coming of the Lord Himself. That, after all, is the only point of contrast. It is the affirmation of the Papal theology that the Holy Ghost sits on the church as His throne. But we hold that the Holy Spirit does sit upon the throne of the church, the church being the mystical body of Christ; that His see is the universal spiritual church, not the church of Rome.

There are three phrases which distinguish His work especially in this age. You distinguish in your thinking and preaching between the phases of Christ's work as Prophet, Priest, and King, and regard Him as Saviour, Mediator, or Teacher; then why should you not, for the purpose of accurate thinking, be prepared to dwell also upon the distinct phases and functions of the blessed Spirit. He is the same Spirit though exercising different functions. His three special functions in the present age are:

First, Filling for sanctification.
Second, Anointing for service.

Third, Co-operation with the preaching of God's Word.

a.

Filling for sanctification. I confess to you that I dislike that word sanctification. It seems as though it were an it, a quality: whereas surely sanctification is the indwelling of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost, and that man is a holy man in whom Jesus dwells; that man is holier in whom there is more of the indwelling of Jesus Christ; and that man is holiest who has least of himself and most of the indwelling of Christ. It is "Christ in you the hope of glory." The great God has poured His nature into the divine human nature of Christ, that nature which was so perfectly lovely, beautiful and simple in its thirty-three years of manifestation. He died that its qualities might be set abroach. The hidden quality of corn and wheat does not propagate itself until it is dead; so Christ's humanity passed through death that it might be made pervasive. It was then raised to the throne of God, and glorified with the glory He had with the Father before the world was made. Then the Spirit of God brought that divine human-nature into the spirit of man, so that it revealed and opened and unfolded. Holiness is the deliverance from the unwholesome, cursed life of self, and the substitution for it is

the indwelling of the Son of God. And that is by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost never reveals Himself. The man who talks about the Holy Ghost as though he were familiar with Him as a person, does not understand what the Master means in saying: "He shall glorify me, He shall not speak of Himself."' You know only the Holy Ghost as He presents Christ. "I travail in birth till Christ be formed in you." That is holiness.

b. The Spirit in anointing. There is a distinction between the Lord Jesus as begotten of the Holy Ghost, and as anointed with the Holy Ghost. He did not begin His public ministry till He was anointed. What was done for Christ in the Jordan being the Head, was done on the Day of Pentecost for the body. There is a special anointing, "The Holy Ghost is upon me," and there is a distinct function of the Spirit of God to give power for service.

c. The third of these functions, and the thing that has made my ministry quite another thing, is the co-witness of the Holy Ghost. I have learned how to rely upon my Confederate, my Associate, to realize the communion between myself and the Spirit of God, so that when I go into a meeting I have only to present the truth, as clearly and earnestly as I can, and all the time my spirit is resting upon the co-witness of the Blessed Spirit. The other day I saw a man working in a saw pit, and I knew there was a confederate down in the pit that I could not see, and the rhythm of the body I could see told me of the rhythm of the body I could not see. And I said to myself I would like to live like that all the time, working with One whom men cannot see, to effect the difficult work that has to be done with the souls of men. It is the Confederacy of the Holy Spirit with the truth, and hence in Revelation we read, "I heard a voice from heaven saying," that is the voice of the evangel, "Yea, saith the Spirit, that is the cowitness of the Spirit in the heart of the church. Those two go together. Here is the characteristic of this age. "He shall bear witness of me, and ye shall also bear witness because ye have been with me." Peter said, "We are witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost." In the case of Peter the Spirit put him out of court, and when he began to speak, before he got through his introduction, the Spirit of God put him aside

and said, I will finish this sermon myself, "When I began to speak the Holy Ghost fell."

V. The resting of the will in God's choice. By a definite act of the will, again and again repeated, we make our own the will and choice of God, the great thought being the word rest. As long as there is friction between the divine and the human there is unrest. When you get the will thoroughly parallel with the will of God, heart and life move easily and peacefully.

VI. Death to the activities of the self-life. Dr. Upham says that the life of faith and love is followed by the crucifixion of the life of nature. What he calls the life of nature, we call the self-life, the corrupt self-life which is the ruin of peace and joy. We believe that God's work is to substitute the nature of Christ for the corrupt workings of our self-nature upon the throne of our being, and therefore there is always a deeper depth of dying to the activities of the self-life.

Let us be careful to make another distinction at this point. A certain line of teachers would say that the self-life dies; we on the other hand teach according to Romans, sixth chapter, that we reckon ourselves dead to it; and this is a very profound distinction. If a man says I have been to such a meeting and my self-life is dead, he may be rather proud of it being dead; and it is as bad to be proud of our selflife being dead as of anything else. It shows that it is not dead. When people say their self-life is dead, it is generally looking round the corner laughing at them. Besides this,

such teaching stops their growth. It also minimizes their conception of sin, for suppose they do a thing after their self-life is dead, which I should call sin, they say, O well, that is only a little infirmity, and they lower God's standard. It works out wrong.

VII. The experience of perfect love, in which the heart is filled with love towards God and towards all. There is nothing like perfectionism or sinlessness in our teaching. We know that we may be, and are kept from known sin by the grace of God. But our standard, at the highest, is very low, as compared with His; though it always approximates to His more closely; and thus, at the end of the best day we have ever spent, in which we could not remember a willful violation of Christ's high code, we need to pray, "Forgive us our debts."